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Oklahoma Men's Basketball Adds Former Bucks Assistant

Former Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Josh Oppenheimer, who helped develop a rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo, has reportedly been hired by the Oklahoma men's basketball team.

Cody Smith

Milwaukee Bucks mascot Bango during the second half of the 73rd NBA All Star game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Milwaukee Bucks mascot Bango during the second half of the 73rd NBA All Star game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Oklahoma head men's basketball coach Porter Moser has reportedly added a former Milwaukee Bucks assistant to his coaching staff on Friday.

According to a tweet by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sooners have hired Josh Oppenheimer as an assistant coach. He was most recently with the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA last season before being relieved of his coaching duties within the organization last May.

“ESPN Sources: Former Milwaukee Bucks assistant Josh Oppenheimer is joining Porter Moser’s staff at Oklahoma,” Wojnarowski tweeted. “Oppenheimer — who had a close working relationship with Giannis Antetokounmpo— will take on a significant role in player development and offensive strategy.”

Oppenheimer's new opportunity with the Sooners comes after most recently being a part of the Bucks' organization from 2020-24.

Last season marked the end of Oppenheimer's second stint with the Bucks after being re-hired by the organization and former head coach Mike Budenholzer in 2020 after an initial stint with the team from 2013-16. During his first run, he was a player development coach under Larry Drew, Oppenheimer spent a lot of time working with 2013 NBA rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Sandwiched in between his two stints in Milwaukee, Oppenheimer had spent time as an assistant in the NBA and G-League. In 2016-17, he was an assistant with the Houston Rockets under Mike D’Antoni before opting to join the Long Island Nets' staff the following year under Ronald Nored.

Milwaukee retained Oppenheimer for this past season after firing Mike Budenholzer and hiring Adrian Griffin. However, after a time following their in-season change from Griffin to Doc Rivers they dismissed Oppenheimer along with a few other coaches in May in order to retool Rivers' staff.

Outside of coaching in the NBA, Oppenheimer had had a decade's worth of collegiate stops as an assistant for Duquesne, Delaware, DePaul and Kent State between1998-2008.

Oppenheimer played college basketball at Rhode Island and Northern Arizona, where he earned All-Big Sky Conference honors for the 1989-90 season. He also played 10 professional seasons, including six in Israel, where he went on to become Israeli Basketball Premier League champion in 1996.

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Cody Smith
CODY SMITH

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